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Third Alteraci-Stromic War
The Third Alteraci-Stromic War was the third conflict between the Kingdom of Alterac and the Kingdom of Stromgarde. As a result of their defeat, the Kingdom of Alterac was forced draw back its borders and was significantly weakened, ending the Golden Age of Alterac. Prelude In 456 K.A, King Elric Perenolde ordered Stromic soldiers to raid the Northern Arathi Mountains and Hinterlands in disguise as Stromic Nationalists. The Kingdom of Stromgarde was forced to cede the mountains to the Kingdom of Alterac after the Second Alteraci-Stromic War. In response, Queen Madison Perenolde enacted an embargo on the Kingdom of Stromgarde and prohibited commercial traffic through the Kingdom of Alterac bound for for from the Kingdom of Stromgarde. This disrupted Stormic's land trade, making it impossible to trade with the Magocracy of Dalaran, Kingdom of Gilneas and Kingdom of Lordaeron. Despite negotiations, Queen Madison refused to lift the embargo. Looking to her husband and son as potentially more reasonable rulers, despite not knowing either of them, King Elric organized an assassination plot of Queen Madison Perenolde. The Stromic agent, Martin Rogers illegally crossed the border by posing a Tirassian fishermen sailing to Southshore from Crestfall. Martin Rogers then safely made his way to Alterac City when Queen Madison Perenolde was making one of her popular and regular public speeches. Armed with a specially made crossbow, capable of hitting targets accurately from long distances, Martin Rogers shot at the Queen from a nearby building. His bolt pierced Queen Madison's chest, she died shortly after being escorted to a physician. Avenging his mother, King Gregor Perenolde raised his banners and declared war on the Kingdom of Stromgarde swearing to accomplish what his predecessors had failed, conquering the Kingdom of Stromgarde. Though many argued that such a war would have been contradictory to Queen Madison's values of Alterac using trade to gain power. Gathering Allies King Gregor Perenolde reached out to King Greymane promising to cede Purgation Isle, marry his daughter and substantially reduce tariffs on Gilnean goods in exchange for support in the war. King Greymane agreed entering the Kingdom of Gilneas into the war. On the other side, King Elric looked to the Kingdom of Kul Tiras a former enemy from the Second Alteraci-Stromic War. However, in recent decades the Kingdom of Alterac became a serious maritime trade rival with many business fleeting to the Kingdom of Alterac as a headquarters and the establishment of several colonies in the South Seas, now selling bringing more fierce competition in those markets. The Lord Admiral agreed to join the war, on the condition that if conquered, Southshore and all islands would be ceded to the Kingdom of Kul Tiras. Stromic Offensive Battle of the Hinterlands Pass Having already taken basic control of the Northern Arathi Mountains, the Kingdom of Stromgarde quick mobilized into the Hinterlands hoping to enter a force into the Hillsbrad Foothills. This Stromic army, under the command of General Zachary Halster easily defeated the meager Alteraci forces, setting camp in the pass between the Hinterlands and the Hillsbrad Foothills. From there, General Halster led his forces in a short guerrilla campaign throughout the Eastern Alterac Mountains. Battle of Thoradin's Wall Next, the rest of the Stromic forces under the command of King Elric Trollbane and General Dalton Wallis charged the fortified Thoradin's Wall under the command of future war hero, General Oliver Greenwall. The Stromic troops stormed the wall fortress, eventually breaking through the wall but only after a day of struggle General Oliver Greenwall escaped however, retreating to Durnholde Keep under Lord Malcolm Karlsburg. Before his retreat, however, General Greenwall slowed the Stromic advance by destroying much of the Wall, collapsing it on the main gate. This forced the Stromics to dig through the wall and repair it, preventing them from advancing immediately. This allowed for General Greenwall and Lord Karlsburg to receive reinforcements as Durnholde as they prepared for the Stromics to push through. Siege of Durnholde Keep After digging out the partially collapsed entrance of Thoradin's Wall, the main Stromic army pushed into the Hillsbrad Foothills. After receiving word of their success, General Halster halted his campaign and joined his forces with the larger Stromic army. The Stromic host then marched to Durnholde Keep now strengthened with larger numbers than expected, beginning a siege of the keep. Reinforcements to Zul'Dare Following the Tirassian capture of the island, the small Stormic Fleet of twelve ships sailed to Zul'Dare with one thousand soldiers as reinforcements to the three thousand Tirassian Marines. Assisting the Tirassians in the Duskhaven Landing. Tirassian Offensive At the same time of the Stromic Offensive, the Tirassian launched their own campaign as well. Lord-Admiral divided the fleet of seventy-five into two squadrons, placing the larger fleet of forty ships under the command of Admiral Nigel Kingston and the smaller fleet of thirty-five ships under Admiral Gerald Sinclair. Battle of Southshore Admiral Nigel Kingston's squadron of forty-ships, carrying 2,000 Kul Tiras Marines sailed to Southshore intent of taking the Alteraci port. The Alteraci Navy sailed out to intercept the Tirassian attack, but was easily defeated nearly being outnumbered by two fold. The Tirassian forces reached the harbor, sinking several merchant ships and defeating the harbor defenses. Then the Tirassian marines left the ships, securing the rest of the Southshore capturing the entire city. Admiral Nigel Kingston then ordered Gull Isle, Herring Rock and Purgation Isle all to be taken. Successfully doing so, with the lack of defenses on all islands save Herring Rock which was blockaded after it couldn't be taken. Capture of Zul'Dare The thirty-five ships under Admiral Gerald Sinclair sailed to Zul'Dare, taking the island as had been done during the Zul'Dare War once again. Making it his base of operations as he waged war in the Gilneas Theater. Duskhaven Landing After receiving Stromic reinforcements, the Tirassian Navy departed from Zul'Dare, leading an attack on Duskhaven. After a failed attempt of stopping the landing by the Duskmist Fleet, the joint-Tirassian and Stromic forces successfully landed at and took Duskhaven. The Tirassian fleet quickly returned to Zul'Dare unable to afford it being taken, while the 3,000 marines,1,000 Stromic soldiers and now ten Stromic ships occupied Duskhaven under the command of Major Lorien Walters. Alteraci Counter-Offensive Siege of Durnholde Keep After the Stormic host began the Siege of Durnholde Keep, the 2,000 Alteraci forces inside remained inside, well supplied refusing to allow the Stromic forces to breach the wall. The siege continued for months, contacting King Gregor that he shouldn't bother with lifting the siege, the inhabitants would hold out and he shouldn't risk losing the bulk of his forces in battle. Assault of Southshore After news of Southshore's capture reached the King, he dispatched 2,000 soldiers to retake the important port. However, this was unsuccessful, the 2,000 Marines holding the port. Gilnean Counter-Offensive Liberation of Duskhaven Following the Tirassian-Stromic occupation of Duskhaven, King Greymane dispatched soldiers to retake the village, so close to his own manor. However, the initial attempt failed, the Tirassian Marines and Stromic soldiers repelling the Gilnean forces. Frustrated, a large portion of the Gilnean force was called back to finish them now under the command of Lord Edrick Stoneward, even if it was a bit of an overkill and made them unable to join forces with the Alteraci. The Gilnean army actually arrived just in time as Major Lorien Waters had prepared his forces for an attack on Greymane Manor, marching up the road to take the home of the King. Fortunately, the Gilnean forces prevented the attack and took Duskhaven after slaughtering the Tirassian and Stromic forces, sparing no one. Blockade of Zul'Dare Following the Liberation of Duskhaven, the remnants of the Gilnean Navy were dispatched to Zul'Dare to reclaim the island. However, they were unable to take the harbor, the Tirassian forces refusing to return their ships to harbor. Thus, a blockade began, though it was lifted a week later after a few reinforcements sent from Admiral Nigel Kingston's fleet joined the Tirassian forces and drove the Gilnean Navy into retreat. Winter and Joining of Forces Due to the unforeseen Tirassian assault on Gilneas, the Gilnean army was unable to join the Alteraci army before the winter as planned. This put the war on hold until spring when the Gilnean army marched to Alterac City to merge with the Alteraci army to form the Alteraci-Gilnean host. Relief of Durnholde Keep Now that the Alteraci-Gilnean host was strong enough to combat the Stromic army sieging Durnholde Keep, they marched south to end the siege. Knowing defeat, King Elric retreated to Thoradin's Wall with most of the Stromic host to fortify it against a potential Alteraci-Gilnean invasion of the Arathi Highlands. General Zachary Halster was dispatched to assist in the Kul Tiras Marines at Southshore with his three thousand men. Then General Dalton Wallis was left to defend King Elric's retreat and slow an Alteraci-Gilnean advance by continuing the siege. Despite this death sentence, General Wallis survived, retreating after injuring General Greenwall after he attempted to lead a charge out of Durnholde Keep. Following the relief of the siege, the injured General Greenwall and Lord Karlsburg were hailed as war heroes for their resolve. The Siege of Durnholde Keep ended up lasting nearly nine months. Caving in of Azurelode Mine and Razing of Hillsbrad Fields Following his assignment to Southshore, General Halster led several operations to harass the enemy, focusing on destroying valuable resources. First, he led an attack on Azurelode Mine, slaughtering its few defenders and caving in the entrance. Next, he commanded a night raid on the Hillsbrad Fields, putting the outlying farms to the torch. Liberation of Southshore Shortly after reports of General Halster's actions around Southshore, 6,000 men from the Gilnean-Alteraci host were dispatched to reclaim the port under the command of King Greymane. The Alteraci-Gilnean forces overcame the enemy forces easily enough, General Halster retreating with the remnants of his men and the Kul Tiras Marines and Admiral Nigel Kingston sailing to enforce the Tirassian controlled Zul'Dare after the port was clearly lost. Once Southshore returned to Alteraci control, many urged for peace seeing it as an opportunity for Alterac to end the war with glory and regain its lost territories through negotiations, though the belligerent King Gregor refused. Conflict in Silverpine General Halster retreated with the remains of his forces, actually overpowering the Gilnean-Hillsbrad border and crossing into Silverpine Forest. Sneaking behind enemy lines, the General Halster and his forces made their way to Ambermill, attacking the town and resupplying from their plunder. General Halster then moved on to the village of Pyrewood Village informing the Lord Admiral and King Elric of his decision to attempt to hold the town to choke Gilnean supplies, demanding reinforcements to hold the town better once taken. In response, the remaining 2,500 Kul Tiras Marines were deployed from Zul'Dare to assist in the towns capture from sea. Capture of Pyrewood General Halster led his troops from Ambermill, meanwhile the Tirassian forces sailed around the Gilnean peninsula and landed on the shore west of Pyrewood. The Tirassian forces stormed the village before assisting in the Stromic storming of Silverlaine Keep. Colonel Percival Lee, leader of the Brigade of Kul Tiras Marines dispatched in the war, convinced General Halster to adhere to the rules of war, sparing Baron Silverlaines life and taking him prisoner. The Stromic-Tirassian capture of Pyrewood would prolong the war even longer, causing the focus to shift towards ending the war in the Gilneas theater so that Gilneas support would continue. Reclamation of Pyrewood While the war continued elsewhere, a vicious stalemate continued between Durnholde Keep and Thoradin's Wall, neither force advancing. However, King Greymane demanded that Pyrewood be retaken immediately, as it made Gilnean resupplies impossible and had made the war unpopular in Gilneas. Thus King Gregor Perenolde dispatched the recovered General Greenwall to deal with the threat, having him lead 6,000 men out of Durnholde in the dark of night in attempts to delay the Stromic discovery of the significant loss in forces. King Gregor went so far to keep the tents and campfires up, to continue the illusion that they had not lost men. General Greenwall led his army through northern Hillsbrad, crossing Lordamere Lake into Fenris Isle where they received one thousand more men to assist in their mission and then into Silverpine Forest to prevent Stromic-Tirassian scouts from learning of the troop movement. This journey actually took a month to occur, the Stromics remaining ignorant the whole time. They chose to pass Ambermill to maintain the element of surprise, attacking from the north, whereas the Tirassian and Stormics expected a southern attack. They ended up sieging Silverlaine Keep for three days before General Halster and Colonel Percival Lee surrendered, being taken prisoner. Gilnean support for the war was never massive but it grew to stable levels. However, King Greymane remained adamant that Zul'Dare would need to be reclaimed in order for him to continue his support. Thus the Gilnean Navy which had seen minimal action escorted the soldiers under General Greenwall to Zul'Dare where they scarcely were able to make a landing, leading to the islands quick capture. With two terrible losses, the Lord Admiral of Kul Tiras withdrew further military support from the war but continued to support the Kingdom of Stromgarde in the interest of seeing its prisoners returned. Second Winter and then end of Stalemate The conflict in Silverpine resulted in the war being delayed longer, resulting in a stalemate winter. Although support was high for the war in Alterac seeing Kul Tiras's withdrawal as a sign of impending victory. Yet, King Elric remained confident having discovered that the forces at Dunrholde were greatly diminished. Storming of Durnholde Keep After discovery that Durnholde Keep was low-manned, King Elric dispatched General Dalton Wallis to retake Durnholde Keep. General Wallis had no plans on a siege, knowing that he would be defeated by reinforcements. Instead, he stormed the walls immediately. Wallis's Charge as it was known was successful, taking the keep and holding Lord Karlsburg captive. King Gregor Perenolde had escaped to Southshore over the winter, foreseeing a Stromic assault on Durnholde Keep. Greenwall's Assault After General Greenwall returned to Southshore from his victories in the Kingdom of Gilneas, he joined his forces and Gilnean reinforcements with the remains of the Alteraci-Gilnean Host, which had previously numbered at a mere 6,000 at Southshore with the loss of Durnholde Keep again. King Greymane and King Gregor Perenolde departed Southshore to return to Alterac City with a few one thousand men in hopes of seeking more allies, leaving the now 10,000 man Alteraci-Gilnean host under General Greenwall's command. General Greenwall led the host to Thoradin's Wall, sneaking past Durnholde Keep in hopes of isolating General Wallis from the Stromic reinforcements and pushing the rest of the Stromic host into the Arathi Highlands. However, his assault failed, half of his men fleeing from the battle after defeat seemed certain. General Greenwall was captured by enemy forces beneath the wall. Battle Along the Thondroril As the bulk of the Gilnean-Alterac forces were defeated beneath Thoradin's Wall, General Dalton Wallis attempted to intercept their retreat at the banks of the Thondroril River, chasing them down. The Alteraci turned around, holding their ground but eventually falling. The Thondroril River was soaked with blood after the fighting, killing some of the wildlife living in it. Only 1,000 Alteraci soldiers managed to retreat back to the Alterac Mountains. Blockade at the Mouth With the Alteraci in retreat, the hardly bled bulk Stromic forces merge in front of the Alterac Mountains, preparing for an assault. They create a blockade before the Mouth of the Mountains, awaiting a surrender or reinforcements to storm the Mouth. King Gregor Perenolde believing all if lost, decided to face him in battle in a headlong charge, hoping to die in glory before his kingdom fell. He succeeded, being slain in battle, though the Alteraci did not relent just yet. Treaty of Alterac City Following the death of King Gregor Perenolde, his infant child, King Arthur Perenolde II succeeding him, although Queen Eleanor Perenolde, is installed as regent at the manipulation of her father, King Greymane. Following her installment, she sued for peace forming a Peace Summit in Alterac City. The Treaty of Alterac City was agreed upon the terms were an Alteraci surrender on the conditions that tariffs on the Kingdom of Stromgarde were reduced, the Northern Arathi Mountains were officially ceded and Alterac would no longer interfere with trade in the Hinterlands. The Alteraci colonies in the South Seas were ceded to the Kingdom of Kul Tiras and tariffs on the Kingdom of Kul Tiras were lowered as well. In return, the Kingdom of Stromgarde would withdraw troops from the Kingdom of Alterac. In addition, the corpse of King Gregor Perenolde and release of General Greenwall would be exchanged for the release of prisoners such as General Zachary Halster and Colonel Percival Lee. In this treaty, Gilneas formally annexed Purgation Isle and recognized their defeat, but paid little. Result The result of the Third Alteraci-Stromic War led to the shrinking of the borders of the Kingdom of Alterac and would later lead to economic depression and famine, under King Arthur II's regency and late this own reign. The Kingdom of Alterac would have to sell more land and would become substantially weaker, ending the Golden Age of Alterac. Category:Alteraci History